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Live Well

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.51″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.51″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.51″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.105″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_text_color=”#2b3856″]Burning sage is one of the oldest methods of cleansing, used commonly by indigenous Americans, but a practice shared by other cultures, too.

The Latin term for sage is ‘Salvia’, which stems from the word ‘to heal.’ The process of smudging, in which sage is burned with the purpose of cleansing away negative energy, is a tradition that goes back thousands of years as part of the spirituality of indigenous Americans.

Our bodies, and the physical spaces we occupy, vibrate with invisible energy currents, or life force, that can be strongly affected by both physical and spiritual forces. Toxic products or foods, fighting, and stress, are all examples of forces that can lower our vibration and increase negative energies around us. Smudging allows us to cleans unwanted emotional and spiritual negative energy that gathers in our bodies and our physical spaces over time. Similar to the practice of yoga or meditation, the goal is to connect the physical plane with the spiritual in order to move the stagnant energy that’s built up and open up space for new, positive energy.

The most commonly used herb for smudging is sage. You can find smudge sticks of sage, and other additional herbs, at your local organic health store. The more pure the sage the better, so be weary of sage smudge sticks at box stores.

The process of smudging, or sage burning, can be as elaborate or as simple as you need it to be. With every practice that I teach, whether essential oils, journaling, meditating, or even smudging, I always stress the need for alignment. These practices are individualized for what each person needs, so developing a practice from what feels aligned with your intuition is critical.
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Place the bundle of sage into the bowl and light it, using a match or lighter, for just a few seconds.

Extinguish the flames and let the smoke begin to rise.

While the smoke is billowing, slowly walk around and take the smoke to each area you would like to cleanse, being careful not to breathe in the smoke directly. For example, when I quit my very toxic full-time, working from home job I smudged my home office heavily. If one of your kids are struggling emotionally, you might consider saging their room. High-traffic areas and entryways are also good places to sage, too.

Use your intuition, you’ll know where to cleanse.

You’ll want this process to move slowly, but not too long. You don’t want to saturate your house with the smoke.

Say a prayer or affirmation as you are smudging. I always use affirmations of what I want to bring in such as joy, confidence, abundance, etc. Again, use your intuition here but the key is to always focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want. For example, you would want to say, “I welcome in wealth and abundance.” rather than “I don’t want anymore debt.”

After saging, burn something sweet, like sweetgrass or incense. The process of smudging is a masculine process, bringing in feminine energy will help keep the balance.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.105″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.105″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.105″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.105″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_text_color=”#2b3856″]You can sage as often as weekly or however you see fit. The key is to always follow your intuition. If things feel off, it’s time to sage. If things feel heavy or negative, it’s time to sage. I choose to sage with each moon cycle, starting with each new moon, setting new intentions, releasing the old, negative energy, and welcoming in new.

I do want to make one note. When I share these practices, I share from a place of healing, from my own journey and experiences. I’m a firm believer that each person has their own divine journey, no one being more superior to the other. With that being said, when we talk about practices like smudging sage it begins to cross into an area where religion and spirituality meet. I always reach out to my friends with varying practices to gather their opinions; it’s part of my curious, forever learning self to do so. One of the best remarks I was given was that cleansing a home with sage was no different than asking a priest to come bless your house, or speaking of the holy spirit with your prayer group. I ask that any negative comments regarding personal religion or spiritual preferences in regards to smudging be refrained…the key word here is negative. I’d hate to have to smudge your comment away.
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Hi, I’m Jennifer!

Hi, I’m Jennifer and I’m on a mission to empower high-achieving women release the overwhelm in order to create a more balanced lifestyle. After spending 20 years pushing my way up the corporate ladder, I realized that I was chasing a mirage. What I thought would bring me satisfaction in life, the career, the title, the salary, the degrees, the recognition, was slowly killing me. I realized I wasn’t living in alignment with how I truly wanted to feel and it was throwing my entire life off balance.

Stress
Overwhelm
Anxiety

These are the silent killers of high-achieving women.

Making the decision to let go of the alpha-female, masculine mindset and step into a more balanced lifestyle was the best decision I ever made. I want to empower other high-achieving women to release the overwhelm and create a more balanced lifestyle.

It’s time to reconnect, realign, and rediscover YOU again!
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What was the problem or challenge(s) you were having before you discovered the Rock Your Happy Program? What else had you tried?

I felt like I didn’t know myself, and I felt vaguely dissatisfied with my life and relationships and like I was struggling with my internal thoughts and internal/external expectations..

What did the frustration feel like as you tried to solve that problem?

Like I was going in circles… constantly thinking and wondering and trying to understand myself and getting nowhere. The more pressure I put on myself the worse I felt. Just kind of internally spinning, spinning, spinning and making myself sick.

What was your biggest desire before the program?

To find inner peace.

How did you first hear about the Rock Your Happy program?

I had seen Jennifer’s posts about the program and really felt like she was talking to me, although she never called me, out of course. I decided to join the program and I’m SO glad that I did.

What was your first impression?

OMG, this is going to be so much work. This is so hard… the minute I realized I was going to have to really dig deep and put the time in and do the work I was intimidated and wanted to run/give up.

What was your biggest fear in hiring Jennifer and joining the Rock Your Happy program?

Being vulnerable. Quitting half-way through and getting nothing out of it because I quit on myself… again.

What was different about the Rock Your Happy program that drew you to it?

Seeing how Jennifer transformed her own outlook on life. She’s such a positive inspiration to me!

Take us to the moment when you realized the Rock Your Happy program was actually working to solve your problem(s). What did it FEEL like when you saw the strategies start working?

So EMPOWERING!

What was the biggest challenge that Jennifer’s service helped you solve?

Not understanding myself or showing myself compassion… taking the time to do the work to analyze where you came from, why it made you the way that you are, and then to take it the next step further and do the work to determine who you’re going to be (because the past doesn’t define us!) was instrumental to changing my mindset about my entire life in general. Every aspect of my life has improved because of the work I did here. (Although, of course I’m still a work in progress!)

What was it like to work with Jennifer?

Jennifer is open, honest, kind and non-judgmental. She gave me a safe space to be brutally honest without fear. And she’s good at getting me to see things I couldn’t see before, although she rarely spelled it out for you… she guides you to get there and see it yourself!

When did you know the Rock Your Happy program was really successful?

When I took several months off in the middle of the program (due to the stresses of life and feeling overwhelmed by the thought of continuing) and then continued anyway and finished. I have almost always quit on myself before. But I recognized that I was already getting so much out of the program and seeing such positive changes that I finally really wanted to get back to it. I’m so glad I did!

What does your life look like now that you’ve completed the program?

I’m still a work-in-progress, of course. But I’m clear on the things I still need to work on to get to the inner peace I crave and I didn’t have that before. I feel in control of my feelings and my reactions and the people around me have noticed a calmer, kinder, happier me. I look at my core values, my mission statement, and my core desired feelings daily and I make decisions based on those things, which has allowed me to let go of a lot of internal and external expectations that were causing such overwhelm in my life.

What would be the three most valuable benefits of this program?

Getting to really know yourself, creating a clear focus for how you want to feel in the important areas of your life and being able to make decisions with that knowledge in mind, and working through all of this on paper so that you can go back and see how far you’ve come since the beginning!

Would you recommend this program to others?

Without question. Do yourself a favor and do the work – it’s hard, but so worth it!

Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I love food, coffee, cats, wine and traveling. I’m on a mission to create a balanced, yet fulfilled life, and help other women do the same. Somewhere along the way, after years as mom, wife, career woman, we lose ourselves. We stay in careers we despise, we put our health on the back burner and we start wishing and never actually doing. We’re taught that you can only chase your dreams when you’re young, not when you’re 40+ and I’m here to show you that you absolutely can create a life that sets your soul on fire. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.97″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.97″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.97″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_image src=”https://wanderlustandwellness.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Learning-to-Live-in-Alignment.png” _builder_version=”3.0.97″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

“Frankincense – the King of the essential oils”

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.0.51″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.51″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.0.51″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.0.92″ text_font_size=”16px”]Frankincense, the King of Essential Oils, so it’s only appropriate to showcase this oil with the King of Men aka Jamie Fraser from Outlander.

But in all seriousness, Frankincense is the number one oil I use daily because of its overarching value; from immune support, to inflammation, to emotional support.

Here are 10 of my favorite ways to use Frankincense:

After a stressful day, rub 1 drop of Frankincense onto the back of your neck to ease stress and tension.

For a peaceful night’s sleep, diffuse 2 drops of Frankincense with 2 drops of Lavender.

To balance your emotions and keep you uplifted during the workday, diffuse 3 drops of Frankincense, 3 drops of Lemon, and 3 drops of Melaleuca (Tea Tree).

Diffuse 2 drops of Frankincense, 2 drops of OnGuard, 2 drops of Lemon, and 2 drops of Oregano to create an immune boosting aroma. You can also add 8-10 drops of each to a 10mL roller bottle and a carrier oil for an immune boosting oil to rub onto the bottom of your feet at night.

Add 1 to 2 drops of Frankincense to an 8-ounce glass of water to improve digestion.

For migraine relief, place 2 drops of Frankincense and 2 drops of Copaiba under your tongue.

Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I love food, coffee, cats, wine and traveling. I’m on a mission to create a balanced, yet fulfilled life, and help other women do the same. Somewhere along the way, after years as mom, wife, career woman, we lose ourselves. We stay in careers we despise, we put our health on the back burner and we start wishing and never actually doing. We’re taught that you can only chase your dreams when you’re young, not when you’re 40+ and I’m here to show you that you absolutely can create a life that sets your soul on fire.
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The new year is just around the corner, which means we’re busy picking our word of the year, or setting our New Year’s resolutions, or creating our vision board, or whatever it is you may do to start off the new year right.

By definition, New Year’s resolutions are a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the new year.

I’d like to propose the idea of setting intentions for the new year, rather than resolutions. I talk a lot about living intentionally but rarely dive into the details of what that looks like.

You see, I used to float through life on autopilot. I went with the flow, with whatever was trending, doing things because they were the social norm rather than whether or not I actually enjoyed them. I’d set lofty New Year’s resolutions, but they were so out of alignment with my internal compass that they never came to fruition. Another year would pass with me just floating on by, wishing and never doing.

By the time I hit my mid-30s I realized life was passing quickly and I had completely lost sight of living intentionally. I was functioning like a robot, and I realized it was time to make drastic changes in my life.

For the past 4 years I have made the choice to live intentionally rather than simply set superficial resolutions. How? By choosing my core values (essentially my internal compass), identifying my core desired feelings in each area of life, and aligning every single decision and choice with these.

Has it been easy? Heck no!Was it worth it? Absolutely!Does everyone close to me understand this change? Nope!Does this mean I’m a full on narcissist? Of course not!

This means that everything I do in life should align with one or more of these core values. These core values are my internal compass. And yes, my core values may differ from my husbands, from my friends, even from my kids. That is OKAY! We learn to live symbiotically.

To also aid in my quest for intentional living, I identify 3 core desired feelings within each area of my life; Health, Career & Finance, Romance & Relationships, Lifestyle & Social, Family, and My Inner Self.

Just to give you one example, under Lifestyle & Social my three core desired feelings are;

Authentic
Stimulating
Courageous

When I combine those core desired feelings, with my core values, this means that any choice or decision I make when it comes to the social aspect of my life gets to come from a place aligned with these. No more going to mindless social gatherings just because I feel I “have to”. If it’s not from a place of intention, aligned with my core values and desired feelings, it’s a NO. This, my friends, is living intentionally.

I do this work with the women I work with inside the Design Your Fulfilled Life Program and it’s a challenge. It’s a hard step for us to put ourselves first and start living intentionally. To examine how we want to {FEEL} in life. I hold the safe space for them as we work through this activity because if you can get to the other side life feels so much better. Life is fulfilling!

Your time here on this world is limited, my friends. It’s time to stop giving away our time and energy on things that aren’t aligned with our core. It’s time to start living intentionally.

My wish for you in this new year is to begin living a life of intention. Stop living out of habit, stop making resolutions that you {THINK} you need, and start living intentionally.

I promised to let you in on a little secret for 2018, and here it is! Wanderlust and Wellness is teaming up with doTerra Essentail Oils in order to bring the healing power of oils to the women we work with.

I firmly believe in the healing, grounding, and balancing power of these oils, especially when it comes to emotional wellness. I’ve joined a rockstar collective of amazing energy healers and lightworkers and together we’ve formed an essential oil collective. Together we’ll be bringing forth transformational strategies for using oils in your everyday life in order to stay calm, connected, and grounded.

I didn’t just select this partnership on a whim, the Universe brought me to this collective. I declared 2018 as the year to get intentional AF and only bring forth the tools, resources, and information that will help the women I work with. My decision to incorporate essential oils into my coaching practice and programs is a prime example of this intentional living.

Maybe you’ve heard of essential oils?

Maybe you use them regularly?

Maybe your only experience with them is your social media feeds filled with people selling them.

Having experienced the healing power of oils personally, I knew I wanted to incorporate the usage of oils for emotional support and healing within my programs. Essential oils are another tool in your toolbox when it comes to building up self-confidence, releasing anxiety, overwhelm, and stress, while also helping you become grounded and calm. I view essential oils as another avenue to help the women who come to Wanderlust and Wellness. The Universe brought me oils during my own healing journey, it’s my turn to pay it forward.

Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I love food, coffee, cats, wine and traveling. I’m on a mission to create a balanced, yet fulfilled life, and help other women do the same. Somewhere along the way, after years as mom, wife, career woman, we lose ourselves. We stay in careers we despise, we put our health on the back burner and we start wishing and never actually doing. We’re taught that you can only chase your dreams when you’re young, not when you’re 40+ and I’m here to show you that you absolutely can create a life that sets your soul on fire.

What was the problem or challenge(s) you were having before you discovered the Design Your Fulfilled Life Program? What else had you tried?

Before finding the Design Your Fulfilled Life Program, I struggled with depression, anxiety, not knowing who I was anymore or what I wanted, and more than anything, feeling like an outsider and a spectator to my own life. I had tried counseling, self-help books, and worse, ignoring my feelings altogether.

What did the frustration feel like as you tried to solve that problem?

For a year, trying to solve my problems felt like sinking deeper into a pit. It was like the more I tried to find myself, the more that self slipped out of reach. I felt like I was reaching for some indefinable, unreachable goal that I knew I should believe in but didn’t really feel in my gut or my heart because I didn’t REALLY know what it was I was trying to attain.

What was your biggest desire before the program?

My biggest desire before starting the program was quite simply to reacquaint myself with who I was, and more importantly, who I wanted to be.

How did you first hear about the Design Your Fulfilled Life program?

I heard about the Design Your Fulfilled Life through Facebook. Jennifer was a former coworker, boss, and always a mentor. I had followed Wanderlust and Wellness since its conception, as seeing Jennifer designing and defining her own goals was always an inspiration to me.

What was your first impression?

My first impression was anxious excitement. When I first read the description of the program, it spoke directly to what I wanted to accomplish, but I knew it was going to require some very difficult work from me.

Were you skeptical of any of the claims it made? If yes, what? Why?

I didn’t feel skeptical of the program at all. I knew Jennifer’s passion, and through my own exploration in therapy, I knew this program would build upon exactly what I was working on in said therapy. I knew this was exactly the next step for me.

What was your biggest fear in hiring Jennifer and joining the DYFL program?

My biggest fear in joining the DYFL program was that, after years of forcing my feelings down, I wouldn’t allow myself to be completely vulnerable and honest with myself.

What was different about the DYFL program that drew you to it?

I had looked to physical health programs for so long to try to fix me. I couldn’t commit to a single one of them for very long because my head was so all over the place. What drew me to this program was that it was an active exploration of what in my mind was holding me back from all of the other things I wanted to accomplish. It was more active than simply journaling. It required daily input, accountability, and talking to someone openly.

Take us to the moment when you realized the Design Your Fulfilled Life Program was actually working to solve your problem(s). What did it FEEL like when you saw the strategies start working?

The moment I realized just what the DYFL was helping me to accomplish was during the Fear module. This module awoke the only skepticism I had felt in the program, but it turned out to provide the most impact of all of the modules. I literally felt a weight I had been carrying for so long lift and felt I really could become an active participant in my life again.

What was the biggest challenge that my service helped you solve?

I had felt stuck for so long. I felt like this program and Jennifer’s guidance finally put my feet on a path, pushing me to move in a meaningful direction for the first time in years.

What was it like to work with Jennifer?

Jennifer’s passion for helping to empower is so encouraging and infectious. She asked the hard questions in such a way that being vulnerable was not so difficult. She had such a way of creating a safe environment, while truly challenging me because, after all, if I didn’t put in the work, the program wouldn’t be so successful. She made me want to do the work.

When did you know the DYFL program was really successful?

I knew the DYFL program was really successful when I was willing and able to set goals for myself. I had always taken life a day at a time for fear of disappointment. Setting tangible and attainable goals, some of which have already been met since completing the program, was a HUGE step for me!

What does your life look like now that you’ve completed the program?

I am so much more conscientious of where I am in my life and where I want to be. I am far from perfect, but I am so much more thoughtful of my choices and when I slide, which I still do, I am much quicker to realize it and return to my goals, my personal mantras, my personal mission statement (all created in this program) to help me through those times.

What would be the three most valuable benefits of this program?

The three most valuable benefits of this program would be that it provides an opportunity to truly invest in one’s self, to put all other things aside and focus on that inner life. Also, it allows the capability to identify fears and hurdles of which one may not even be aware that effect the ability to live one’s desired life. Finally, it is a valuable resource that also serves as a reminder that we all have our struggles, but we are not alone in those struggles and we are so much stronger than we believe.

Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I love food, coffee, cats, wine and traveling. I’m on a mission to create a balanced, yet fulfilled life, and help other women do the same. Somewhere along the way, after years as mom, wife, career woman, we lose ourselves. We stay in careers we despise, we put our health on the back burner and we start wishing and never actually doing. We’re taught that you can only chase your dreams when you’re young, not when you’re 40+ and I’m here to show you that you absolutely can create a life that sets your soul on fire.
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Today, the question came up in a group I collaborate with, which was, “What does having it all look like for you?” There was much discussion around what “having it all” really meant, how it would look different for each of us, and how there isn’t an endpoint at all. As we grow and evolve our “having it all” will change, and that’s okay.

This conversation made me think about the work I do with my clients within the Rock Your Happy program. One of the critical differentiators inside the Rock Your Happy program is the exercise of identifying your core values and personal mission statement. Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. They are the guiding principles that dictate behavior, and they help determine if you are on the right path and fulfilling your goals by creating an unwavering guide. They form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. They are built on our beliefs and from who we are as people. To identify your core values, you must honestly look at yourself and define who you are. Every decision, every relationship, every choice should align back to one or more of your core values. This is how we stay true to ourselves and begin creating our fulfilled life.

Your core values and your fulfilled life will be as unique as your DNA. What “having it all” looks like to you may look completely different than your friend’s. Inside the program, we spend a lot of time clearing out the limiting beliefs, examining our life roadmap and stories, releasing fears, learning how to establish a routine of self-love and acceptance before we ever begin to answer the question, “What does your fulfilled life look like.” We get to understand ourselves before we begin answering that question honestly. You’d be surprised how often we think we know ourselves; we think we know what our fulfilled life and having it all would look like, but when we deeply examine who we indeed are and what we truly want, the answers may surprise you.

If I were to ask a group of individuals what their fulfilled life looks like, the majority of them would all speak the very same message; travel more, more money, different job, or work with a charity. Looking at those responses, do you see how high level they are? That’s barely skimming the top. Also, many of us give those answers because they think they’re the right thing to do, or what you should want regarding a fulfilled life. People are either afraid to own what they truly want, or they don’t know.

Use these questions to spark self-discovery, to inspire positive change in your life, and to push you towards living in alignment with what you truly want in life.

Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I love food, coffee, cats, wine and traveling. I’m on a mission to create a balanced, yet fulfilled life, and help other women do the same. Somewhere along the way, after years as mom, wife, career woman, we lose ourselves. We stay in careers we despise, we put our health on the back burner and we start wishing and never actually doing. We’re taught that you can only chase your dreams when you’re young, not when you’re 40+ and I’m here to show you that you absolutely can create a life that sets your soul on fire.
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Those are phrases taken straight from the women I’ve worked with in and around the Design Your Fulfilled Life Program.

I remember once a friend asking me what I liked to do, such as hobbies, etc., and I couldn’t produce an answer. I honestly had no idea what I liked to do other than work, take care of the kids, attend the kids’ events, and catch an occasional episode or two of an interesting series I happened to come across. I also had a tendency to give the same answer anytime someone asked me how things were going in life. “Oh you know, same ol’, same ol’, work, kids, living the dream!”

It wasn’t until my kids began to get older that I began to realize I had completely lost myself in motherhood. Over time, after years of taking care of everything for everybody I slowly faded away from myself, my interests, my passions, my hobbies, without even realizing it was happening. It wasn’t all of a sudden. It wasn’t as if one day I woke up and thought to myself, “Oh snap, I’ve lost who I am!” It’s a gradual shift that we don’t even realize is happening until one day we’re standing there and nobody needs us….for anything.

As our kids get older we enter this sort of new territory as a parent. The kids get older and they themselves slowly need us less and less. Slowly they no longer need us to fix their lunches, or take them to the doctor. With every milestone they achieve, it’s one less thing they need from you. When we realize our role as mom, the only role we’ve known for 18+ years, has drastically changed, we feel as though the rug has been pulled out from underneath us. No longer do we need to check backpacks, fix lunches, or schedule appointments. Sure, they’ll still call for advice, or money, but they’re flying off from the nest to start anew and we’re left sitting there wondering what in the heck do I do now. As we start to come to terms with our new reality, we realize we’ve lost our identity. We’re unable to answer some of the most basic questions. What do I enjoy doing for myself? What are my hobbies? Who am I?

Part of the reasoning behind this is the socially accepted idea that it has to be either/or. You can be a great mom or you can do things in life you personally enjoy, but you can’t have both. Being a “good” mom equates to surrendering anything and everything you have ever loved in order to devote yourself solely to your children. Self-care is deemed selfish, women who take time away from their kids to enjoy their own activities are deemed poor mothers, and we continue to validate this damaging idea of either/or.

Or, we are so dependent upon the kids needing us that we completely immerse ourselves into being a mom and frantically panic as time passes by. This is why I dislike the phrase, “these are the best years”. Every year should be the best year. Every season of parenting brings something new to enjoy. Thinking that you have to give your everything to being a parent and saving nothing for yourself because “they’re only little once” or because “these are the best years” is living in a scarcity mindset that there’s not enough joy to last a lifetime.

As mothers, it’s ultimately up to us to create this balance, when we’re ready. My role is to hold a safe place for women to touch their toes into the water as they begin to rediscover themselves. We must all come to this crossroads on our own terms, on our own timeline. Some of us create this balance from day one, for others it’s much later, and that’s okay.

If you’re ready to embrace the idea that it doesn’t have to be either/or, but instead a healthy, symbiotic mixture of both, here are 5 Ways Mothers can Rediscover Themselves.

Pick up a hobby or activity that you enjoyed before becoming a mother. This could be yoga, painting, movie dates with friends, knitting, reading. Something that you truly enjoyed that you have all but given up since becoming a mom.

Create space in your daily schedule that allows you time alone to reconnect. Be sure to schedule this as a non-negotiable, and use this time to journal, meditate, or just rediscover you again.

Surround yourself with like-minded women. Find other women who are ready to create this balance, and create a safe space together as you begin to explore shifting your mindset. The Wanderlust and Wellness Community Group is a great place to start.

Open up about this shift in mindset. Be open with your spouse, your family, even your children. Change shouldn’t happen in a bubble, share with your loved ones things about you that you’d love to rediscover again.

Visualize Your Perfect Day. Take time to visualize what your perfect day would look like. Often times we’ve spent so many years shutting ourselves away that we have a hard time visualizing what a balanced life could even look like. Visualize yourself doing the things you once loved, rediscovering yourself, and your family and children supporting you along the way.

Hi, I’m Jennifer!

I love food, coffee, cats, wine and traveling. I’m on a mission to create a balanced, yet fulfilled life, and help other women do the same. Somewhere along the way, after years as mom, wife, career woman, we lose ourselves. We stay in careers we despise, we put our health on the back burner and we start wishing and never actually doing. We’re taught that you can only chase your dreams when you’re young, not when you’re 40+ and I’m here to show you that you absolutely can create a life that sets your soul on fire.

We were raised on microwave TV dinners and Cheese Whiz and worry if it’s too late to improve our health and wellness.

While we were the first generation raised as ‘latch-key’ kids, with more women entering the workforce and divorce rate and single parent homes more prevalent, we still find ourselves succumbing to the old, traditional views on the role of women in both the home and workplace.

Generation X women enter the workforce and stake their claim on the leadership ladder, while also being plagued with the guilt surrounding working motherhood, honoring self-care and compassion, and matriarchal family dynamics.

Despite our children, who we adore, our spouse, who we love, and our career, which we worked so hard for, we still feel as though something is missing. Along the way, from college, to career, to marriage, to motherhood, we’ve lost a piece of ourselves, and feel selfish for even looking for that lost piece. We’re the generation of women raised to put ourselves last, to quiet our dreams for ‘one day’, and to forge ahead on the path of ‘success’ laid out for us, not by us.

But, within the women of Generation X there’s a flicker of light on the horizon, like an SOS signal on the stormy seas, sent out by those of us looking for a solution.

We’re ready to create that balanced and fulfilled life we witness the younger generations enjoying without guilt or regret.

Let’s bring with us the wisdom of the Boomers while embracing the adventurous spirit of the Millennials.Let’s break the mold and create the new archetype for a life well-lived.Let’s create a life that sets our soul on fire.Let’s embrace the ideals of eating well, living well, and traveling often.

What does your fulfilled life look like??

Maybe it’s owning your own coffee shop and chatting with customers throughout the day. Maybe it’s being a stay-at-home mom nurturing her kids as they grow. Maybe it’s traveling more than not. Maybe it’s living a balanced life in all areas; health, career, self-care, and adventure. Whatever it looks like for you in your dreams, are you living it?

As you’ve heard before, Wanderlust and Wellness was built around 3 basic pillars or principles: Eat Well, Live Well, and Travel Often. We believe it’s possible to press the reset button on life and start creating a life that sets your soul on fire. We believe a fulfilled life is balanced, incorporates nutrition and wellness that works for YOU, incorporates a career you absolutely love and also includes adventures that feed your soul. Let’s go over 6 steps you can take now towards living a more fulfilled life, shall we?

Download the worksheet that goes along with these six steps

Step 1: Make YOU a priority

That’s right, you have to make YOU a priority. I get it, I truly do. As moms and wives we are trained to put ourselves last. Last to the dinner table, last to bed, last to buy new clothes, the list goes on and on. Somehow we’ve created this ideal that we have to put ourselves last to be a good woman, a good mom, a good wife. However, the truth of the matter is in order to be the best for those around us we have to be the best version of ourselves. If we’re tired, lonely, depressed, overwhelmed we’re not going to be in a good spot to take care of others. So, it’s time to stop putting YOUR needs, wants, desires, and dreams on the back burner and start making them a priority.

Step 2: Own your story

When you look in the mirror, fully love the person you see. Embrace all of your stories, experiences, and decisions as valuable pieces of your journey to where you are at this exact moment. No more regrets, no more I should have, could haves. No more what ifs. Choose to love you for you, own your story, and start looking forward instead of in the past.

Step 3: Punch fear in the face

Fear, you know that sneaky little voice in the back of your mind (which is totally irrational by the way) keeping you from making decisions? Fear of the unknown, fear of judgement, fear of being wrong. Somehow these fears have tricked our brains into thinking we’re literally in physical danger with these irrational fears, which then kicks off our fight or flight response, resulting in us running from anything deemed as uncomfortable. It’s time to STTTOOOOP this nonsense! Get over your fears because they’re not real, you’re not in danger and you won’t die from busting out of your comfort zone.

Step 4: Embrace vulnerability

This goes hand in hand with Step 3. If you want something to change you have to be willing to get vulnerable. Book that trip to that foreign country, ask your boss for that promotion, talk to your partner about the changes you want in your life. Get. Vulnerable. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

Step 5: Identify you core values

How can you live in alignment if you don’t even know what your core values are? What do you truly value? Have you ever sat down and identified these? There’s a whole lesson on identifying your core values in the Design Your Fulfilled Life course inside the Wanderlust and Wellness Academy. But if you’re not quite ready to make that commitment, figure out how to identify these on your own. Once you know your core values, decision making is easy peasy. Is it aligned? Then hell yes! Is it not aligned? Then it’s a hard pass. See how easy that was??

Step 6: Write down your personal mission statement

I know all of you (well, most of you) have probably been through an exercise at work where you either helped developed your company’s mission statement or you were at least trained on the mission statement. A mission statement is like a guiding beacon. For a company, the mission statement is what all activities should essentially be aligned with. This goes the same for us as individuals. Everyone should have a personal mission statement. This personal mission statement should keep you living in alignment right alongside your core values.

Ready to open the door to a new way of living?

It’s never too late to chase your dreams, live the adventures, and eat all the {healthy-ish} foods!

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Most days you can find me sipping my favorite bulletproof coffee blend, petting my cat, and creating good food recipes we can all enjoy. I’m a small-town Missouri food blogger, podcaster, and author with big aspirations. Let's chat more →